Cao Shunli was a Chinese human rights activist who died last week after falling critically ill in police detention. The news of her death came soon after the start of a session in Geneva of the UN Human Rights Council, a body to which China was elected amid controversy last November. China said Cao Shunli's legal rights had been respected, but her family claims she was denied timely medical attention. Anu Kultalahti is China Researcher at Amnesty International in Hong Kong.